1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ice-crushing device for refrigerators that is capable of crushing ice by torque of rotary blades relative to stationary blades, and, more particularly, to an ice-crushing device for refrigerators that is capable of selectively operating the stationary blades according to selected ice mode, i.e., crushed ice mode or ice cube mode, to allow the stationary blades to have a damper function, thereby preventing stoppage of crushed ice, and therefore, eliminating a locking phenomenon, which is caused by the stoppage of crushed ice.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a refrigerator is an apparatus that stores foods in a refrigerated state and/or a frozen state according to the principle of a refrigerating cycle to consecutively perform compressing, condensing, expanding and evaporating processes to change the state of refrigerant. Recently, large-capacity complex refrigerators having other various functions in addition to simple refrigerating and freezing functions have been increasingly used.
The most typical additional function of each of the large-capacity complex refrigerators is a dispenser function to allow for a user to easily and conveniently take water and ice out of the refrigerator without opening door(s) of the refrigerator by pushing a button provided at the refrigerator. The large-capacity complex refrigerators each having such a dispenser function may be classified into a side-by-side type refrigerator comprising a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber, which are arranged in the lateral direction of the refrigerator while a partition is disposed between the freezing chamber and the chilling chamber, and a bottom-freezer type refrigerator comprising a side-by-side type chilling chamber and a freezing chamber disposed under the side-by-side type chilling chamber.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a general side-by-side type refrigerator.
As shown in FIG. 1, the side-by-side type refrigerator comprises: a water supplying unit 1 for supplying water introduced into the refrigerator from the outside into freezing and chilling chambers of the refrigerator; a water tank 2 for storing water supplied from the water supplying unit 1; a water supplying pipe 3 for transferring water supplied from the water tank 2 to the freezing chamber; an icemaker assembly 4 for receiving water transferred through the water supplying pipe 3 to make ice; another water supplying pipe 6 for transferring water supplied from the water tank 2 to the chilling chamber; and a dispenser 7 for selectively dispensing water transferred through the water supplying pipe 6 and ice supplied from the icemaker assembly 4.
The icemaker assembly 4 comprises an automatic icemaker 4a and an ice bank 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the ice bank 5 incorporates a coil spring-shaped auger 53, which is rotated when a rotating force of a motor 52 is transmitted to the auger 53, and a cylindrical helix part 54, which has a screw formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof. Ice dropping from the automatic icemaker is transferred to a crusher part 55 by the auger 53 and the helix part 54. The crusher part 55 comprises rotary blades 55a rotatable about the same axis as the auger 53 and stationary blades 55b. Ice transferred to the crusher part 55 is crushed by the rotary blades 55a and the stationary blades 55b. 
An ice-making chamber, which incorporates the icemaker assembly therein, may be disposed at the inside of a freezing chamber door so as to increase the inner space of the freezing chamber. The ice-making chamber disposed at the inside of the freezing chamber door is referred to as an “indoor ice-making chamber.” The ice bank, which is applied to the indoor ice-making chamber, has a flap part 56 instead of the cylindrical helix part 54, as shown in FIG. 3. The flap part 56 performs a constant-speed ice-discharging operation, which is performed by the cylindrical helix part 54 in the icemaker assembly 4 as shown in FIG. 2. The indoor ice-making chamber may also be applied to the bottom-freezer type refrigerator.
Under the flap part 56 is disposed a damper 58 for performing a rotating operation about a hinge shaft 58a by a solenoid (not shown) according to selected ice mode, i.e., ice cube mode or crushed ice mode, to open or close a discharging port 57 of the ice bank 5. When the discharging port 57 of the ice bank 5 is opened, i.e., the discharging port 57 of the ice bank 5 is not closed by the damper 58, ice cubes, i.e., uncrushed ice, are discharged through the discharging port 57 of the ice bank 5. When the discharging port 57 of the ice bank 5 is closed by the damper 58, on the other hand, ice cubes are crushed by torque of the rotary blades 55a relative to the stationary blades 55b, and thereby, crushed ice is dispensed through the dispenser 7.
In the above-mentioned conventional ice-crushing system, however, the damper is disposed horizontally while the stationary blades are disposed vertically, and therefore, crushed ice may be stopped between the damper and the stationary blades when the discharging port of the ice bank is closed by the damper. As a result, the crushed ice is not discharged. In other words, a locking phenomenon occurs.
Especially when the crushed ice is maintained in the stopped state for a long period of time; the crushed ice may be fixedly attached to the damper. Consequently, no operation is properly performed even though an ice cube mode switching signal is transmitted to the solenoid of the damper.